Chapters (46)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
Kyra backed away, staying out of his reach. “Lucky, I guess.”
“I think it’s more than that. It really is a pity. You could have become one of our best.”
She knew he was trying to distract her, to provoke a reaction so she’d drop her guard. Still, his words were oddly hypnotic.
“From the first time I saw you work,” said James, “I knew you were different. You’re the closest I’ve ever seen to a natural assassin.”
James attacked before he finished the sentence. Kyra jumped aside but lost her balance and tripped. She scrambled up and out of his reach, curving her path to avoid running into the Makvani. Kyra had a feeling they’d throw her back in if she came too close.
“You’re beautiful to watch, you know,” James continued, as if they’d been talking all along. “Your grace—it’s impossible to ignore. Even now, when we’re at each other’s throats…Did you notice the way my men looked at you? Especially after watching you break into the armory. And it wasn’t just them.” He paused. “Maybe that was the problem. As an assassin, I valued your skill. But though I knew better, my admiration grew beyond just business.”
A shudder ran through Kyra’s body, and she was grateful she couldn’t see Tristam’s reaction. A couple of months ago, such an admission from James would have enthralled her. But that was before she had killed for him. Before he’d murdered Bella.
James lunged again, and this time she ducked aside without falling. He was slower than she remembered. Last time they’d fought, he’d been impossibly fast. Was he teasing her now?
“Remember the afternoon we spent planning the raid?” James asked.
She did. And she remembered what happened afterward. She pushed the memory away and feinted to the left. James stepped aside, but again, not as quickly as she’d expected. Kyra searched his face for any sign that something might be wrong, but as always, James was a master at hiding his feelings.
“We really do have a lot in common,” said James. “We think the same way. We both enjoy the thrill of the chase, of outsmarting our enemies. Tell me you didn’t get a thrill from bringing the wallhuggers down a notch. You loved that power. I dare you to deny it.”
She wanted him to be wrong. She needed him to be.
“So you don’t deny it,” said James.